The star-fish was used by
Hippocrates in uterine diseases. This shows its pathogenetic relationship to Sepia and Murex. It is also
an ancient remedy for epilepsy. It powerfully affects the mind and head, producing symptoms
strongly suggesting apoplexy. The face is red, and there is strong congestion to the head,
which is hot and feels as if surrounded with hot air. Certain forms of cerebral congestion
with obstinate constipation. Electric shocks in the head. Nightly lancinating pains in the
breasts have led to its successful use in cases of mammary cancer. Petroz used Aster. r. successfully in old skin affections, old ulcers, and in
cancers. He found that it only acted on the latter when on the left
side. (I have a case─probably not cancerous─of
tumour of the left breast, diminishing under this remedy; but I have also seen it act well
on the right breast). Sexual desire increased, sexual excitement. A pushing-out sensation in
womb, impeding walking, recalling Sepia. H. C. Allen
mentions it as a remedy for acne having small puncta with black tips and small red bases.
Symptoms are < at night; by motion, and in cold, damp
weather. Tears > the mental state. Teste says the
malaise is < by heat. Great desire for cold drinks
Coffee < all the symptoms, and excites them anew
several days after they have disappeared. Ast. r. is a
very important remedy too seldom used.

Anxious, apprehensive, impatient; easily
excited by any emotion, esp. contradiction.─The slightest cause moves to
tears.─Has hallucinations: that he is away from home; hears voices and
replies.─Sense of impending misfortune; fears bad news.─Cerebral
excitement in opposite directions: sadness, desire to weep; extraordinary mirth; desire to
give one's self up to intellectual labour, or some violent exercise; slight dulness of the
mental faculties.─Delicacy of the moral perceptions.

2. Head.─

Vertigo, transient, when walking, with
insensibility of lower limbs.─Heat of head as if surrounded with hot
air.─Sudden sensation of fulness in the head, as if congested.─Rush
of blood to the head, as if it would burst.─Throbbings.─Sensation
of confusion in the brain.─Wakes at night as if brain shaken with
electric shocks; fears apoplexy.─Cerebral congestions accompanying
obstinate constipation.─Severe pressure in forehead seemed to crush eyes
with heavy weight.─Boring pain along l. eye (with dimness of sight)
comes and goes suddenly; causes contraction of brows.─Pain in occiput,
r. side, making it difficult to walk.─Dull occipital headache (after
breakfast) coming and going suddenly.─Bones of skull and scalp sore.─Fulness
of the head, whose sides seem to swell out; stitches in the r. temple; passing stitches in
the forehead, temples, and esp. in the occiput; transitory pains in r. parietal region;
pressive pains in forehead or sinciput, which passes off towards noon.─A
sort of emptiness in the head; the consciousness is almost lost; thoughts about apoplexy;
this sensation, which lasts a few minutes, is followed by fever, with a hard, quick pulse,
violent beating in the r. carotid; these symptoms continue until the end of the following
day.─The cerebral symptoms come on in the morning, cease in the daytime,
and come on again in the evening.

3. Eyes.─

Heat and redness in the eyes, weary
look, difficulty of bearing the light.─Eyes are drawn backwards.─Winking
of the eyelids, the free margin of which is red.

4. Ears.─

Lightning-like stitches in the meatus
auditorius.─Violent reports in the ears; noise in the ears as from
waves.─Dulness of hearing in the r. ear.

5. Nose.─

Epistaxis; sneezing and coryza in the
morning on waking.

6. Face.─

Red, flushed face.─Transitory
or permanent flush in the face.─A sort of stupid, meaningless expression
in the physiognomy.

7. Teeth.─

Acute and pressing stitches in the
upper teeth.

8. Mouth.─

Swelling of the tongue; pulling pains
in the tongue; heaviness of speech, profuse flow of saliva.

9. Throat.─

Pressing irritation of the throat.─Dull
pain apparently all along the sophagus.

10. Appetite.─

Loss of appetite; or else a strange
and uncertain appetite; aversion to meat; dulness of taste.

11. Stomach.─

Frequent eructations; dull or
constrictive pain at the precordial region.

12. Abdomen.─

Shocks of dull pain in the r. side
of abdomen and near umbilicus.─Incarcerated wind.─Violent
colic, with shuddering, alternating with flushes of heat in the face.─Alternate
swelling and sinking of the abdomen during the twenty-four hours.─Pulling
in the abdominal walls.

13. Stool and Anus.─

Obstinate constipation, 12 to
15 days without stool, which was of hard round substances size of an olive.─Constipation,
with ineffectual urging to stool.─Diarrha; liquid, brown-coloured
stool, spirting out with force.─Several soft stools in the daytime.─Heat
in the rectum; hæmorrhoidal tumour; piles.

14. Urinary Organs.─

Urine frequent, clear,
profuse; or else thick and slimy; heat in the urethra while the urine passes out.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─

Sexual desire increased;
erotic thoughts.─Frequent erections during sleep or in the morning.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─

Twitching in the womb.─Pushing
sensation in the womb.─Sense of pressure on the inferior organs of the
abdomen, which hinders walking; sensation as if the menses would appear.─Delayed
menses.─Unusual dampness of the vagina, which affords a feeling of ease.─Delay
of the menses, although the usual colic and other symptoms are present; these only cease on
the appearance of the menses, which are more profuse than usual.─Excitement
of the sexual instinct, every morning in bed; violent and constant desire, with nervous
agitation, and apprehension of not being able to support these painful sensations.─Lancinating
pains in breasts.─L. breast feels drawn in.─Induration
(l.) and ulceration.─Swelling of the breasts as when the menses are
about to appear.─Itching spots.─Miliary or
furfuraceous eruption between the breasts.

18. Chest.─

Whole l. chest painful, < motion.─Darting pain towards internal
part of chest from before backward, extending under l. nipple into whole internal part of
arm to extremity of little finger.─Stitches in the anterior portion of
the chest on the r. and l. of sternum.─Pain under sternum.─Sensation
as if l. breast were drawn in.─Nightly anxiety, caused by undulating
beatings in the chest.

19. Heart.─

Palpitation; pulse hard and frequent.─Strong
and frequent beating of the heart; jerking palpitations.─The heart seems
to have ceased beating.─Anxiety at the heart.

20. Neck and Back.─

Scrofulous ulcer l. neck.─Pulling
in the back and sacrum.

22. Upper Limbs.─

Axillary glands swollen hard and
knotted.─Uneasiness in the upper extremities.─Pain
extending from thumb to the shoulder-joint.─Numbness of hands, with
coldness of the arm.─Lancinating pain at l. elbow; circular red spot at
the l. elbow, which becomes covered with a furfuraceous, dry, and friable layer.─Considerable
itching around the nail of the l. thumb.

23. Lower Limbs.─

Lassitude and great weakness of
the lower extremities.─Pain in the l. hip.─Burning
stitches in the great trochanter and the coxo-femoral articulation of the l. side.─Stitches
at the fore part of the thigh.─Pain in the joints of the foot.─Painful
pulling in the sole of the foot.─Gouty pain in the joint formed by the
l. big toe with the first metatarsal bone; redness and heat of the skin at this place.─Violent,
very unpleasant itching at the thighs and legs, <
towards six o'clock, evening, in open air.─Eruptions on the thighs and
insteps, consisting of small, itching vesicles, which tear easily and change to small,
burning, large and superficial ulcers, lasting several days before cicatrising.